Amazon phone 'confirmed', modified Android OS expected

Amazon could be about to enter the smartphone arena with a handset of its own - the Amazon phone - if reports are to be believed.

Amazon is to hold a press launch in Los Angeles on Thursday, with The Verge claiming that "multiple sources" have confirmed the existence of the handset.

It is said that the new Amazon phone is far from finished, but it could still be announced at the event, along with new Amazon Kindle devices, potentially including a new Kindle Fire tablet.

The phone is said to run a modified version of the Android operating system similar to that of the Amazon Kindle Fire. Other details remain sketchy, though it’s a fair assumption that if the phone does indeed exist it will be fitted with Nokia Maps as its default navigation service.